Four is the magical number, since for the fourth straight month, the MMA world has four events to look forward to, highlighted by a triple-threat of intriguing UFC fights this Saturday to truly kick off Super Bowl weekend.

Between that, the return of Fedor and one of the most intriguing 170-pound main events in quite some time, the shortest month of the year will be long on great MMA action.

Saturday, February 5

UFC 126Las Vegas, NV - PPV

There's already a nice buzz building for UFC 126, which is what happens when you have three strong fights on top.

Headlined by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (finally!), with Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader providing support, this is going to be a great event that should do good numbers on PPV.

Personally, I'm really excited for Griffin/Franklin, as the winner is going to elevate themselves in the still-rebuilding 205-pound division and Jones/Bader obviously has some important ramifications as well. The light heavyweights need some love and this Super Bowl show will hopefully begin the healing process.

If that wasn't enough, Miguel Torres, Chad Mendes, Donald Cerrone and the debut of Kid Yamamoto all punctuate an awesome undercard—a big reason why the event is already sold out.

Saturday, February 12

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. SilvaEast Rutherford, New Jersey - Showtime

One week later, the tournament that will hopefully be a highlight of 2011 for Strikeforce kicks off with the much-anticipated return of Fedor Emelianenko against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and relative mainstream unknown Sergei Kharitonov vs. Andrei Arlovski.

The heavyweight Grand Prix is something that is going into full-press mode for the promotion's Q1 and Q2 plans and Strikeforce is counting on it to fuel a great rest of the year for their heavyweight division.

There has been plenty of criticism of the company for their brackets, but given what they are trying to do, they make sense. Just be happy the fights are booked and there's backup fights in place in case of injury.

This particular event is all heavyweights and features prospect Shane Del Rosario vs. Lavar Johnson in a fight that will fly under the radar, but really shouldn't.

Friday, February 18

Strikeforce Challengers 14Cedar Park, Texas - Showtime

Strikeforce continues with their two-a-month events, putting on their 14th edition of the Challengers series in Cedar Park, Texas, headlined by Lyle Beerbohm vs. Pat Healy.

Ryan Couture returns in the co-main event position, but that's about it in terms of name value. I get what they are trying to accomplish, but I'd rather see the promotion put these fights on the undercards of their bigger shows and use the footage to create longer televised shows or must-see web content.

Then again, maybe people need to see David Douglass vs. Nick Gonzalez live.

Saturday, February 27

UFC 127Sydney, Australia - PPV

The UFC returns with their second PPV of the month with a considerably weaker lineup, headlined by BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch in an uber-important bout for both guy's career.

One thing we know: it will be a sold-out Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. They will go nuts for countryman Georges Sotiropolous vs. Dennis Siver, but how will they react to Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera or Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle?

Prepare for the Dana White rant against critics of cards before they happen. There will be a lot of complaints about this one, but it could turn out ok if the undercard talent goes above and beyond.

Now that we've crossed the All-Star Break, the NHL rumors will be heating up to the boiling point now.

After there was a bit of a lull in terms of news, now the rumors are flying in over the past few days. Obviously the same names have emerged for the most part, especially out of Ottawa and Toronto. But new names have come out, including more news about Zach Parise of New Jersey and a possible move for Calgary's Robyn Regehr.

There's also news about a possible Stanley Cup hero on the move after this season.

So here's the latest trade buzz from around the league as we begin to reach the home stretch until the trade deadline.

Tiger Woods went into Torrey Pines hoping to prove that while he may not be the dominant performer he once was, he could still hang with the top crowd. He finished the second day at -6 and looked like he was back to being the Tiger Woods we once knew.

The third and fourth rounds, however, dashed those hopes immediately, as he went +5 to finish his outing at Torrey Pines tied for 44th at -1. What does this tell us? To put it bluntly, Woods has a long way to go before he will be dominant again.

According to ESPN, Tiger's biggest problem is the transition in bringing his stroke from the practice range to the golf course. He said to Bob Harig, "It is a process, a building process. I've been through it before, and I hit some good shots out there, unfortunately, I hit way too many bad ones."

I would like to see Tiger return to his former glory, since with how much he's been through he's at least earned the shot. The emerging young guys, along with Phil Mickelson and the other veterans, will not make it easy for him.

If Tiger thinks that he can cruise to a tour win without trying like he used to do, he won't get another win, plain and simple.

The UFC's March return to New Jersey is complete, as the organization on Tuesday announced the final two fights for the night's card.

The final two bouts announced were both previously reported, as Mike Pyle meets Ricardo Almeida and Dan Miller meets Nick Catone. The card takes place on March 19 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The event, headlined by a Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rashad Evans, is the UFC's first trip to New Jersey since March of last year, when UFC 111 emanated from the Prudential Center.

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk made a return to the UFC last September after a 16 month layoff caused by numerous injuries. Since the controversial split decision win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, he's been largely off the radar, but there's a reason for that.

In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Sherk revealed that the injuries he's been battling over the last couple of years have been re-aggravated, and he's currently rehabbing them yet again.

"All those injuries that I had to rehab, they came back," Sherk said. "So, now I need to get them dealt with again."

Sherk's doctors say he may be able to return by the summer, but the Minnesota-based wrestler says he won't come back until he's fully healed and prepared for a return.

"I made a decision a couple of years ago that I wasn't going to fight injured any more, so that's where the layoff has been," he said. "It's not worth training half-ass because I'm hurt and fighting half-ass, and giving opponents an opportunity to beat me because I wasn't able to prepare properly. That's just not a chance I'm going to take any more.

For Sherk, he knows his age is a factor working against him, but he remains cognizant of his own legacy and aims to go out on his terms. But before he does, he said he still has one more goal left in the sport.

"I'm not going to lie; I'm not getting any younger, unfortunately," he said. "So my injuries are just something that needs to be dealt with properly. I don't want to destroy my legacy. It's not worth it."

"I want to win that belt one more time. That's my ultimate goal: To be a two-time UFC lightweight champion. I think I would put myself in a very elite class of athletes if I was able to do that."

Penick's Analysis: Sherk had some very real cardio issues in the Dunham fight that allowed Dunham to completely turn the fight around in the eyes of those watching, and it can definitely be attributed to the injuries and the layoff. Hopefully he's able to rehab these injuries and return to action as soon as possible, as the layoff will remain a factor. Like he said, he's not getting any younger, and the age and inactivity can affect him with the injuries he's suffered. That said, he remains a dangerous challenge for any fighter the UFC would put him against, even in 2011. Whether or not he can make it back to a title fight is a different story, but he'll be competitive against anyone and will defeat most, so again, hopefully he's able to get himself back to fighting condition before the fall.

Bellator has officially announced their plans for a third featherweight tournament coming in their fourth season, which is set to debut on MTV2 this March.

The eight man tournament will earn the winner $100,000 and a shot at Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in a future season of Bellator Fighting Championships. With the announcement of the tournament itself, the organization also confirmed the first participant in Eric Larkin.

"I'm thrilled to announce Eric Larkin as our first confirmed participant in our upcoming Featherweight Tournament," said Bellator chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Eric has unlimited potential in this sport, and I'm excited to see how he does in this stacked tournament."

Larkin trains out of the Lion's Den in Scottsdale, Arizona, alongside current Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren. He is a former national champion wrestler from the University of Arizona who was nominated for ESPN's ESPY awards in 2003 for "best college athlete."

Larkin is making the drop to featherweight after starting his career 3-0 at lightweight; but much like the man whose belt he's chasing, he is looking forward to the challenge of taking on more experienced fighters in this tournament.

"I'm definitely looking forward to this upcoming tournament,? Larkin said. ?I know there are going to be some really tough guys in there. I'm not taking anyone lightly. I'm going to do my thing and get after it. I like fighting back-to-back so it's going to be fun.?

"The major benefits I'm going to get from dropping down to 145 are primarily going to be strength and leverage. I definitely feel like I'm going to be stronger at 145 than I would be at 155. At lightweight, there are guys cutting down from 180 and 190 to make the weight and I'm not even close to that. I think this cut to featherweight is going to be great for me."

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk made a return to the UFC last September after a 16 month layoff caused by numerous injuries. Since the controversial split decision win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, he's been largely off the radar, but there's a reason for that.

In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Sherk revealed that the injuries he's been battling over the last couple of years have been re-aggravated, and he's currently rehabbing them yet again.

"All those injuries that I had to rehab, they came back," Sherk said. "So, now I need to get them dealt with again."

Sherk's doctors say he may be able to return by the summer, but the Minnesota-based wrestler says he won't come back until he's fully healed and prepared for a return.

"I made a decision a couple of years ago that I wasn't going to fight injured any more, so that's where the layoff has been," he said. "It's not worth training half-ass because I'm hurt and fighting half-ass, and giving opponents an opportunity to beat me because I wasn't able to prepare properly. That's just not a chance I'm going to take any more.

For Sherk, he knows his age is a factor working against him, but he remains cognizant of his own legacy and aims to go out on his terms. But before he does, he said he still has one more goal left in the sport.

"I'm not going to lie; I'm not getting any younger, unfortunately," he said. "So my injuries are just something that needs to be dealt with properly. I don't want to destroy my legacy. It's not worth it."

"I want to win that belt one more time. That's my ultimate goal: To be a two-time UFC lightweight champion. I think I would put myself in a very elite class of athletes if I was able to do that."

Penick's Analysis: Sherk had some very real cardio issues in the Dunham fight that allowed Dunham to completely turn the fight around in the eyes of those watching, and it can definitely be attributed to the injuries and the layoff. Hopefully he's able to rehab these injuries and return to action as soon as possible, as the layoff will remain a factor. Like he said, he's not getting any younger, and the age and inactivity can affect him with the injuries he's suffered. That said, he remains a dangerous challenge for any fighter the UFC would put him against, even in 2011. Whether or not he can make it back to a title fight is a different story, but he'll be competitive against anyone and will defeat most, so again, hopefully he's able to get himself back to fighting condition before the fall.

The organization confirmed the Light Heavyweight Championship bout during Saturday's post-fight press conference in San Jose. The card, which will take place from the Nationwide Arena, marks Strikeforce's debut in Ohio.

In addition to the Henderson vs. Feijao bout, the card is also expected to feature the Women's 135 lb. Championship bout between Marloes Coenen and Meisha Tate, as well as a lightweight bout between Billy Evangelista and Jorge Masvidal and a middleweight contest between Tim Kennedy and Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

"Feijao" captured the title in August, taking out Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal in the third round. The 30-year-old brings a 10-2 record into his first title defense, and he'll face the biggest fight of his career against the former two-division PRIDE Champion.

Henderson enters the fight off of a first round knockout over Renato "Babalu" Sobral in December. The longtime veteran entered Strikeforce in the middleweight division last April, losing to Jake Shields on CBS in his debut. He bounced back with the win over Sobral, and looks refreshed and as dangerous as ever at 205 lbs.

Penick's Analysis: This is shaping up to be another very fun card for Strikeforce. Feijao vs. Henderson is a very legitimate fight at 205 lbs., and should be an excellent main event match-up. The Coenen-Tate bout should be another entertaining women's fight, and could be another competitive back and forth battle. Evangelista vs. Masvidal and Kennedy vs. Miller are both good fights as well, and Jorge Gurgel may also be returning to the Strikeforce cage on this card.

I was thinking of this but had never ever heard it discussed - are certain styles going to prosper more at certain weight classes? For instance, maybe at HW strikers are going to prosper more because there is just greater knock out power there, and there are not many second chances once you get tagged. Or perhaps it is the opposite, and at HW it is better for wrestlers because it is going to be nearly impossible to get a good 270 lbs wrestler off of you. Any thoughts?

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza defended his Strikeforce middleweight championship belt using the world-class jiu-jitsu he is known for, submitting Robbie Lawler with a rear naked choke at Strikeforce in San Jose on Saturday night.

Jacare took Lawler down early in the first round, but when he switched to a guillotine, Lawler was able to get back to his feet. From there, violent stand-up erupted with Lawler throwing big strikes. He used a knee and a combination of punches to knock him to the ground. For some reason, Lawler followed Jacare to the ground, and was controlled on the ground until they were stood up with just 0:25 left in the round. Lawler finished the round strong, throwing strikes until Jacare tried for another takedown.

In the second round, Jacare controlled Lawler on the ground. He punished Lawler with strikes and tried for several submission attempts, but Lawler showed evolution in his fight game, working out of each and every submission attempt with one of MMA's best grapplers.

That submission defense magic disappeared in the third round, as Jacare took Lawler down early. He took his back, slapped on a body triangle and then slipped in a rear naked choke. Lawler tapped at 2:00 in the third.

The difference in this fight was takedown defense. Though Lawler is now training in Arizona with former All-American wrestlers Ryan Bader and C.B. Dollaway, he couldn't stop four of Jacare's six takedown attempts.

Souza is undefeated with Strikeforce after fighting for Dream and Brazilian-based promotions, earning a record of 14-2. Lawler, who just signed a new contract with Strikeforce, is 18-7.

After the New York Jets' win over the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took to the airwaves with one of the more clueless statements he's made in his time as commissioner. The trash talk had been flowing freely between the two rivals in the buildup to the game, with players from both teams exchanging barbs and insults right up until game day, and if you include Bart Scott's epic rant with Sal Paolantonio, even after the game. Goodell, who has spearheaded a crackdown on what he considers unacceptable behavior since he began his commissionership, wasn't about to let all that go unnoticed. "I think there's got to be a respect amongst the people who play and coach and, most importantly, for the game of football," is what he said when questioned at the owners meeting in Atlanta. "I want to make sure that's respected throughout the league."

Right.

This is one area that he's got wrong, and MMA has right. That game between the Jets and Patriots ? the one with all the "disrespect" between players and coaches? - It was the highest rated divisional playoff game in 14 years. Why do you suppose that is? It was a big game, yes, and it was between heated rivals, sure. But what put it over the top was the rhetoric going back and forth between the two teams. There's no question that trash talk helped "sell" that game to the general public.

Let's say you take out every distinction between players in the NFL. All fans know is the team logo and the name on the back of the jersey. What do you have left? Well, you've got a game that America loves, and it's still going to be popular. But it's not going to be the overpowering monolith that it is now in American culture. In today's world, personality sells. Every day we're all bombarded by personalities. Between blogs, twitter, and more TV channels than you can even count (not to mention everything that's on demand), there are more ways to grab peoples' attention than there have ever been. With all that going on, the basics don't always cut it anymore. The NFL is still the NFL, but if you cut out the personality, you've got a league that captures the imagination of each market it inhabits ? not something that's going to attract millions of viewers to a game between teams representing two locales they've never visited.

So where does MMA fit into this whole thing? Luckily for those of us who care about the growth of the sport, they're getting it right.

Look, we all want to think idealistically sometimes and claim that the sport sells itself on the merit of its own inherent watchability. Look no further than Dana White's tired axiom about people stopping to watch a street fight when there's a basketball game going on across the street, or whatever it is that he says. But in the real world, that's just not the case. While a sport does have to be entertaining in order to succeed, and MMA certainly fills that bill at its best, the athletes involved are what people pay to see.

If you need evidence, let's look at one Brock Lesnar. In his second MMA fight, he was in the co-main event in the largest MMA promotion in the world. And why? Certainly not because of his skills, though he's shown that he's not lacking in that area. Not because of his domination of past opponents. It's because of who he was and how he presented himself. Brock Lesnar is a fascinating athlete, and people want to see him. But that's just one example.

While I'm certainly condoning trash talk here, that's not to say that everyone needs to sell a fight by tearing his opponent down verbally. That's not the point. It all comes down to getting across who a fighter is and why the general public should want to watch him. The fighter has got to make the public care about him, whether they want to see him win or lose. But if everyone is just talking trash all the time, it becomes white noise and no one stands out. Take Georges St. Pierre for instance. He's the gentleman. B.J. Penn is the talented guy who is thrilling when he's at his best and maddening when he's at his worst. Matt Hughes is the tough farm kid who is about as cocky as they come. Chael Sonnen is the delusional guy who might just be good enough to back up all the insane things he says.

Now that's a small sample of guys who have set themselves apart with their outside-the-cage behavior or comments. That's not the only way to do it. Clay Guida is known for his relentless gas tank and the pace he sets during fights. He's also just a likeable guy. Anderson Silva is the Superman-enigma. No one knows what's really going on with the guy, but many are compelled to watch him just because of his unbelievable talent and his somewhat confusing mystique.

On the flip side, you've got guys that are talented, but just don't have that "it" quality that would put them over with a non-hardcore audience, whether it's because of in-cage style or just a lack of exposure to who the fighter really is. Take Jon Fitch for example. As a disclaimer, I'm a Fitch fan. But I'm also a guy who watches everything and enjoys the vast majority of it. Fitch is 13-1 in the UFC. Thirteen wins! That's probably the most impressive record in the UFC this side of Anderson Silva. With that kind of mark in his UFC tenure he ought to be at least as big a star as his teammate Josh Koscheck. But he's not. Fitch probably gained most of his fans in his only UFC loss, when he was dominated for five rounds by the best fighter in the division. Why? There was something distinctive about that fight. Fitch showed the fabled "heart of a warrior" in taking a hellacious beating and still coming forward. That fight was memorable. Does anyone remember any of Fitch's wins? I know he's got them, but I couldn't tell you as many things that stand out about his 13 wins as I can about his one loss. Jon Fitch is a great fighter, and I think he'd be more of a star with a belt (which he might just get a hold of if GSP moves to middleweight) because it gives him something that's distinctive about himself. But right now he just doesn't stand out to the masses.

Now mind you, I don't mean to hate on Fitch. He's just the most apparent example of what I'm trying to illustrate. Look no further than Yushin Okami to find another high-level contender who doesn't stand out. Or look at how long it took Lyoto Machida to catch on with his highly elusive style, even for a guy who actually was the champion. What it comes down to is that sports, and especially individual sports like MMA, are star-driven. It's good to know that while there are always things that can be done better to further the growth of the sport, the decision makers in the UFC and other promotions realize that pure sport isn't enough to be appealing. Trash talk and building personalities, when done the right way, can only help further the cause of any sport.

Prior to last night's contest against Cyborg and before he signed his most recent contract extension, Nick Diaz has commented on several occasions that he would like to fight GSP and he has also gone and on and on about him being a better fighter. However, after his win last night against Cyborg he was once again asked whom he would like to fight next and he said something like, I fight for Strikeforce and I will fight neon they give. But, then a report on another website during the post fight conference had him commenting that the two guys up next for him are Woodley and Daley.

At any rate, what's my point? It seems to me that his comments clearly say several things:

Just as many have said all along, Strikeforce does not have the same talent pool as the UFC. Nick Diaz settled by resigning with Strikeforce.Scott Coker has finally done something right by insisting that his fighters stop mentioning UFC fighters because that's like telling your spouse you love them but what to live elsewhere. Strikeforce fighters like to call out UFC fighters knowing the fight would never happen which is like me saying I can kick Jose Aldo's butt. We know that will never happen so it's easy to say without fear.

"For me, being off for a year, that's huge. It's a weird feeling, I'm a little more nervous than usual. During this year I've had spurts of really good training when I thought I was going to fight. The big thing is going to be that first minute, and making that adjustment, getting back in there. This is the longest break I've had in fighting since 2000, so it's weird.

It sucks. It's nice to get to do other things and not really worry about fighting. It's mentally refreshing. But physically, a good break every now and then is great for your body. But it was too long. Too long without competing. I don't know. This is the most ring rust I've ever had. I'm not excited about it. I'm definitely going to fight more."

-Forrest Griffin talks about getting back into action against Rich Franklin next week at UFC 126 during a pre-fight teleconference (transcribed by MMAFighting.com).

Penick's Analysis: The ring rust issue has got to be the biggest concern for him heading in, but if he can shake off some of that in the first round without falling far behind, he should be in pretty good shape. He's not alone on the layoff or injury department, as Franklin is coming off the broken arm suffered in the fight against Chuck Liddell, but Griffin has an extra seven months on the sidelines. Hopefully he's able to fight a few times in the next year win or lose in this one, as he's still one of the UFC's stars and his fights are typically entertaining.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

"It was a great fight for the fans. I'm proud of my performance and that I was able to bounce back. I'm disappointed that I didn't get the win, but we get to do it again. That will be a treat for the fans and for us too... I prepare for those fights. Those 25 minute fights. You've got to expect that those can happen. If I can walk away unscathed in a minute, obviously I'd take it. (Laughs). And those will help lengthen your career. But a fight like that with Gray has only done great things for me and my career. My legacy I guess... I come from a wrestling background myself, so I knew what Gray would do [in the rematch]. I just worked out with some really good guys. I was up at Rutgers University, working out with those guys. I trained with the Montreal Wrestling Club a little bit too and definitely stepped my game up in that area... I was disappointed [in the draw]. You prepare and you train so hard. For victory. To have a fight like that and then not win? It was disappointing. But, it happens...[Gray is] tough. There are some things we'll go back and look at for sure. I let my team do most of the critiquing and decide what adjustments I have to make. Maybe look to counter some of the stuff that he does. We've got some time before the next fight and we're already working on some things."

-UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar talks to Jonathan Snowden at BloodyElbow.com about his UFC 125 bout with Gray Maynard and preparing for their third meeting later this year.

Penick's Analysis: Edgar is a great champion, and is continuing to just trudge along while the respect from fans and fighters starts to come around towards him. After the first round of that fight, he fought a fantastic bout, and it was incredible to see him bounce back from the beating he took in that first round. And because of that performance, he's now, for the first time, favored to win a title fight heading into the third meeting, which is expected to come in May. This is going to be a great rematch to a great fight, and Edgar will be a better version of himself in that fight as well.

Bret Hart revealed to Right After Wrestling that John Morrison once apologized to him backstage for handing out his sunglasses to children before his matches.“He came up to me, John Morrison did, and he apologized to me, he said he felt bad and made references to stealing my gimmick,” Hart said.“But the fact that he even addressed it was flattering to me. I don’t think it’s any different than Rey Mysterio giving stuff to the kids. It’s gotta keep moving on, and if there’s any kind of connection between his ...

Saturday night will be Walker's second trip into the cage. He stated that his long term goal is to become an ambassador for MMA and that in order to do so he must know how to fight, an admirable pursuit.

Walker's opponent, Scott Carson, has just one MMA fight in the last nine years, a knockout loss in June of 2010.

Not many fans or pundits are giving Carson much of a chance in this bout, as they see him as a hand selected opponent that will give Walker an easy win and favorable press.

Walker, while a neophyte, is not a fraud. He is taking MMA very seriously and training with American Kickboxing Academy so he has a lot of experience in his camp.

There's really not much else to say about this bout, Walker's name is the draw here.

Time to lock in your Strikeforce predictions. All picks that are embedded in this thread will update in real time with the results as the fights take place.

The full leaderboard is here:Strikeforce Predictions Leaderboard | Tapology (http://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/strikeforce-san-jose/predictions-leaderboard)

10 fights total available for picking (no amateurs). 50 points for every correct winner. 25 point decision bonus if you call it via decision. 50 point perfect bonus if you call either TKO/Submission plus the round number.

*Who's the best fight picker on Sherdog tonight?*

Here's what I've got. Post yours and come back to this thread during the fights to see who's winning.

They are also offering four preliminary card fights for free beginning at 7PM ET on Facebook, and by "liking" their page you can access them. But check right back here at MMATorch.com tonight for Jamie Penick's coverage of the fights starting at 9PM ET on Spike!

*** The Facebook prelims are starting a little bit late as the there was about two minutes left in the third round of the previous prelim fight (Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves). The last minutes of the match aired along with Alves winning the decision. There was also some "comical comments" from Joe Rogan about someone wearing foot warmers.***

FIGHT ONE (Lightweight): Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy Freire

Round 1: Freire Feels out with his jab. Lowe, standing in a southpaw stance, rushes in and shoots for the takedown. He pushes Freire to the cage. Lowe lands some decent righ-hands while basing out and keeping Freire down. Freire throws a couple of elbows frmo the bottom, but Lowe keeps pushing Freire around and working his ground and pound. Freire goes for a kimura from guard and Lowe is working ground and pound with is left. Freire almost has the kimura, but not quite. The ref stands them up despite the possiblity of the submission.

Freire throws a head kick, and then Lowe comes back with a big right that knocks down Freire. Lowe ground and pounds from guard, but he does not look like he can capitalize off the knockdown to finish.

Round 2: Freire comes out with a leg kick that misses. Lowe lands with two big power shots and shoots for a takedown. He pushes Freire comes out with a leg kick that misses. Lowe lands with two big power shots and shoots for a takedown. He pushes Freire to the fence and works for the takedown. Freire lands a high kick, but Lowe takes him down again. Freire throws up a triangle choke and Lowe lifts Freire and slams him down, but Low is still in the triangle choke. He gets out and ground and pounds his way to half guard. Freire gets Lowe back in guard. The ref stands them up. Freire lands a low kick. Lowe looks tired. He takes Freire down again with ease.

Round 3: They both pump jabs. Nothing connects. Lowe lands a combo, but his pretty much blocked by Freire. Freire throws a body kick and a straight right. Freire throws a high kick and then Lowe shoots and Freire stuffs it. Lowe shoots again and stuffs again. Lowe is on his knees slipping punches to bait Freire. He then shoots to take down Freire but Freire ends up in mount after the scramble. Lowe gets him in half guard. Freire is landing elbows and fists to the face. Lowe gets up and takes Freire down. Freire is going for the kimura from guard like he did in round one. He still works for the kimura, as Lowe lays on him and stalls rarely throwing anything with his left hand. The bell rings.

WINNER: Waylond Lowe via Unanimous Decision (29-28 x 3)

Fight Rating: ** There was not a whole lot to this fight as far as excitement goes, and it was strange to se the ref stand up the fighters while one was actively working for a submission. The story of this fight was Lowe's wrestling. His gas tank was low, but he did what he had to do to get the first two rounds.

Fight 2 (Featherweight): Mike Brown vs. Rani Yahya

Round 1: Brown stalks and Yahya throws to kicks early. Yayha throws a spinning back kick. After a pair of leg kicks, Brown lands a big shot, but Yayha gets back up. Yayha shoots and they scramble. Yayha presses Brown to the cage and works to secure the takedown. Brown holds tight and is looking for his guillotine. Yayha looks for side control and Brown moves to butterfly guard. Yayha goes for an arm in guillotine, but Brown gets out. Brown is back up to his feet, and Yayha almost gets his back. Yayha gets him down and pushes Brown to the cage. Brown lands an elbow, but Yayha moves him to the cage. He takes Browns back, and then the bell rings.

Round 2: Brown comes with a jab. Yahya comes in throws a body shot and a leg kick. Bron trows a big right hand. They work to the cage, and Yahya goes for a flying guillotine. Brown stands while Yahya is up on Brown working for the choke. Brown slams down and avoids the choke. He lands in Yahya guard and he works had ground and pound. Yahya gets under and sweeps Brown and then gets up. Yahya goes for the guillotine again. They dis engadge and Yahya lands a jab. Brown throws a right and Yahya slips. They clinch and Brown pushes Yahya to the cage. Yahya struggles for wrist control. Brown is stalking, but he has slowed down a bit. Yahya shoots and Brown sprawls. Brown attempts a darce choke. The bell rings.

Round 3: Yahya shoots in and backs Brown up to the cage. Brown goes down momentarily, but he is back to his feet. Yahya slides through and they lock up. Yahya takes Brown down and gets side control. He ends up in Browns half guard. Yahya is working ground and pound and throwing elbows to the legs. Yahya takes his back and gets a hook in. Brown tries to spin so he will wind up in guard. but no dice. Yahya puts on a body triangle. Yahya has his back and rides him with the body triangle and pounds out Brown. Yahya pulls back on his face for the rear naked choke, but he does not have hte neck. He lets go and rides Brown's back with the body triangle again and Brown takes some big shots from Yahya. The ref stands them up because Yahya hit Brown in the back of the head. Yahya shoots in and Brown ends up almost taking Yahya back. Yahya ties up a leg, and then Brown gets it out. Yahya sweeps and gets Brown on his back. The round ends with Yahya on top.

Winner: Yahya via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)

Fight Rating: **+ Yahya was impressive. He neutralized Mike Browns power with sheer skill. Brown was a tough opponent that could not be finished in this outing, but there are some grappling holes that Brown needs to address. But, to Brown's credit he was on the ground with one of the best BJJ players out there.

Fight 3 Welterweight: DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon

Round 1: Guymon throws a leg kick and then shoots in. They lock up on the cage and Johnson takes him down and lands in side control. Johnson side rides him, but Guymon gets him to half guard. Now in full guard Johnson tries to pass while controlling Johnson's wrist. He throws some right hands to the head of Guymon. Johhson moves to side control and then full mount. He takes Guymon back and gets both hooks in. Johnson goes to use his left leg to tie up Guymon's arm, and then locks a body triangle on. Johnson flattens out Guymon and arches up on his back and before he could land a shot, Guymon verbally taps out and Johnson checks with the ref.

Winner: DaMarques Johnson via Body Triangle

Post Fight: Joe Rogan asks Johnson why he looks upset, and Johnson replies that the win was like "foreplay with no orgasm." Johnson apologies, and Rogan gives Johnson credit.

Fight Rating: *** Guymon tapped just from the proper execution of Johnson's triangle. You could hear Joe Rogan say you could see his rib sticking out in his back after when Guymon was rolling in pain. Then they feed broke up and appeared Guyman was standing. I am not sure of the severity of his injury, but the fact of the matter is Johnson fished him with what is often one part of getting a submission. Usually, a rear naked attempt follows the back mounted body triangle.

Fight 4 (Lightweight): Cody McKenzie vs. Yves Edwards

Round 1: McKenzie comes out fast with his hands and pushes for a takedown. Edwards tries to stuff the takedown. McKenzie gets him down momentarily, but Edwards gets back up. McKenzie shoots and Edwards sprawls and lands on top. They are on their feet and McKenzie shoots again and stands up with Edwards' leg. He gets his foot out and McKenzie throws a kick. McKenzie eats a tough leg kick form Edwards. Edwards works his jab. McKenzie attempts a head kick and slips to the mat. McKenzie shoots and Edwards sprawls hard. Back on the feet, McKenzie throws a kick. Edwards is blocking, and McKenzie keeps coming with combos. McKenzie shoots and Edwards ends up mounting him. McKenzie goes for a body triangle from behind. Edwards gets up. McKenzie ducks an uppercut. Edwards stuffs McKenzie, and then McKenzie gets him down for a second. Edwards gets up and they engage as the bell rings.

Round 2: They both work combos, and then Edwards lands some shots to the head while pushing back. He throws a head kick. McKenzie throws a hook. Edwards is out striking McKenzie on the feet and McKenzie shoots. He gets Edwards down and he takes his back as Edwards stands up. McKenzie goes for the rear naked choke, but Edwards telephones and spins. McKenzie ends up in side control. McKenzie takes the back and lands some shots. He has a body lock on Edwards and is pound Edwards out. Edwards works to defend and McKenzie lost the body triangle. The ref gets to his feet, and McKenzie drags Edwards back down and works to get a hook in. Edward sweeps, mounts, and goes for ground and pound. McKenzie gives up his back. Edwards locks in the rear naked choke and McKenzie refuses to tap. He puts McKenzie out cold!!! The ref stops it.

Winner: Yves Edwards via Rear Naked Choke

Post Fight: Rogan asks Edwards how does it feel to get a guy with his own move, and Edwards says it's good to get a choke artist with a choke. Edwards talks about being accepted by America and thanks the troops. He asks America at home to call and donate money.

Post Fight ***+ This was an interesting fight. McKenzie looked like he studied the drunken monk style of stand up, but his ground game was proving more effective than many might have thought it would against Edwards. Edwards being a vet saw a mistake and exploited it handing McKenzie his first lost. McKenzie should not feel too bad about his overall performance seeing how he lost to someone who has won 3x more than McKenzie has fought all together.

The Facebook format worked well. There is some down time seeing how production is not as important during prelims, but those were a great set of FREE fights from the UFC. We also got to hear more about raising moment for the troops which is the point.

WWE has announced the various attractions for this year’s WWE WrestleMania AXXESS fan event. It will take place during WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. Check out the events below:1. Welcome Mat ? Get what you need at this out-of-the box welcome center. Fans will be offered literature and assistance at this entrance feature.2. Diva Photo Shoot Presented by Twix ? Get a photo with your favorite WWE Divas.3. Superstar Entrance ? Fans can act out their favorite WWE Superstars’ ring entrance while being announced into the ring by a WWE ...

Friday, January 28, 2011

This is the second of a two-part breakdown of the UFC's lightweight division. Last week's entry concentrated on the top of the division along with the up and comers. This week we'll take a look at everyone else, and a few fighters outside the UFC who could find a home within the friendly confines of the Octagon.

THE POOL

I'm going to start off the pool with a fighter who was originally in the Step or Two Away category before I had to move him out due to overcrowding and a lack of quality wins. That's Jim Miller (19-2). Now before Jim Miller's defenders rise up in the comments, just hear me out for a second here. Miller is a dangerous guy, no doubt. He's won six in a row and looked great doing so. But whom has he beaten that would put him near the top of the division? His biggest win in my eyes came over a hot prospect in Charles Oliveira. That's really only half the problem, though. The other half is his future matchmaking. While another fast-rising contender, Dennis Siver, has no big wins to his name, he's fighting George Sotiropoulos in his next fight. Who does Miller have coming up? Not Gomi, not Evan Dunham, not Sean Sherk, not anyone that would vault him into contendership. He's fighting Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2). No disrespect to Shalorus here either, but what exactly does a win do for Miller here? It pretty much keeps his streak alive. But a loss would be a pretty big blow to any title aspirations in the next year. That's what keeps him out of the Step or Two Away category for the moment. That having been said, he's right back in the picture with a win over Shalorus and an upcoming fight against a big name. We'll see how high the UFC is on him after his next fight. Moving on, we've got one of Miller's victims, Mark Bocek (9-3). Bocek seems like he may finally be hitting his stride with his win over the suddenly ice-cold former UFC welterweight/lightweight Dustin Hazelett (12-7). The Canadian made submitting Hazelett look easy, and Hazelett is a guy who has come up with some pretty slick submissions in his own right. Bocek fights another tough grappler in former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson (12-2) at UFC 129. It'll be an interesting few months here as the WEC transplants integrate themselves into the UFC and we finally get to see them test themselves against some known quantities. The Henderson-Bocek fight should give us a good idea of where both guys stand right now, and it's a really intriguing matchup. They say Henderson can't be choked out, but Bocek will almost certainly give it a try anyway. Donald Cerrone (13-3) is another WEC transplant that will look to make a name for himself on the big stage starting at UFC 126 when he takes on the always-tough Paul Kelly (11-3) at UFC 126. Henderson is trying to avoid his first ever back-to-back losses, while Kelly could be facing dire consequences with a loss to Henderson since going 2-2 in his last four. With the lightweight division absorbing a lot of talent due to the WEC merger, it's now the most swollen of any UFC division, and as such it could get nasty here with cuts over the next few months. I wouldn't be surprised to see some pretty established names (hello Marcus Davis (17-8)) get shown the door with just one loss. And if it's two in a row for a guy who hasn't established himself, that's almost certainly worth a pink slip.

In another fight that could result in the loser being cut, Yves Edwards (39-16-1) will take on Cody McKenzie (12-0) and his mythical "McKenzietine" this Saturday night. McKenzie has the novelty of having won 10 straight fights by first round guillotine, which could work in his favor to a certain extent. At the same time, if Edwards loses to a guy like McKenzie, why would the UFC keep him around? In another fight this Saturday, Cole Miller (17-4) will square off with his friend Matt Wiman. Wiman has won two straight but hasn't fought since June, while Miller is coming off of a September win over TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson (11-4), which was Pearson's first UFC loss. A fight between Miller and Donald Cerrone is almost a sure thing after this fight and Cerrone-Kelly, as the trash talking has already commenced between two of the division's more verbose inhabitants. For his part, Pearson has a UFC 127 bout scheduled with Octagon mainstay Spencer Fisher (24-6). This should mean a trip back to the main card (or televised prelims) for Fisher, who quietly earned a decision win over UFC newcomer Curt Warburton (6-2) in an unaired UFC 120 prelim. Warburton, another Brit, will also make his return in Australia at UFC 127. He may be in for a long (or short) night against WEC veteran Maciej Jewtuszko (8-0). Jewtuszko was last seen in August crushing Anthony Njokuani (13-4) at WEC 50 in under two minutes. Jewtuszko frightens me. Njokuani will face the aforementioned Edson Barboza at UFC 128, which you simply will not want to miss if you are a fan of quality violence. These two are sure to deliver the thunder, and though it may not be scheduled for the main broadcast of that particular card, I'd be surprised if it doesn't end up being shown.

Continuing with hard to spell names, we'll move on to Chinese native Tiequan Zhang (12-1), who faces Jason Reinhardt (20-1) at UFC 127. This should show what Zhang is made of after he was thoroughly dominated by as-yet unheralded prospect Danny Downes (7-1) at WEC 53. At the same time he'll be taking on a fighter in Reinhardt who has been on the shelf for three entire years, so it may not be overly telling one way or the other.

We've exhausted all of our UFC 127 lightweight fights, but there's still one to be discussed that's coming up this weekend. Waylon Lowe (9-3) has the task of welcoming the debuting Willamy Freire (18-3) to the UFC. Should he be unsuccessful in this outing, I don't think Lowe is long for the Octagon, at least in this go round. And of course we've already mentioned Evan Dunham in a previous section, but we haven't yet talked about his opponent on Saturday, Melvin Guillard (26-8-2). Guillard purports to have become a better, more patient fighter under the tutelage of Greg Jackson, and if that's the case he'll need to showcase that improvement against Dunham. As of yet Dunham has shown no areas of real weakness, and while Guillard was able to eke out a victory against the always-tough Jeremy Stephens (19-6) in his last outing, he hasn't been tested for a while in the way that Dunham will test him. Should be a very intriguing fight. And let's not forget Stephens while we're at it. Stephens just ended the UFC career of Marcus Davis with one punch at UFC 125. He doesn't have an upcoming fight scheduled, but a good fight might be between Stephens and a slumping Tyson Griffin (14-5), who last dropped a robbery of a split decision to Nik Lentz (20-3-2), who is currently 4-0-1 in the UFC but has yet to really catch on with fans or anyone else for that matter. Another fighter derailed by Lentz is Andre Winner (11-5-1), who dropped a decision to "The Carny" back in August before losing his second straight to Dennis Siver. Winner doesn't have a fight scheduled at the moment, but the once-promising TUF alum is certainly on shaky ground as it stands right now.

Staying on the TUF front, we've got the finalists of the most recent season, starting with the winner, Jonathan Brookins (12-3), who was originally rumored to have a fight lined up with Jon Makdessi in his second UFC appearance before the opponent was confirmed as his TUF castmate Kyle Watson (13-6-1). As of yet there is nothing scheduled for Brookins or his co-finalist, Michael Johnson (8-5), and though it's no easy feat to win the TUF tournament, we really won't know too much about either man until they step in there with a known quantity. I would imagine with the number of lightweights currently under contract, neither fighter will have an easy road to stay in the Octagon. I wouldn't be surprised to see Johnson thrown in there immediately with someone like Rafael dos Anjos (14-5), who was coming off of three straight wins before a jaw injury shortened his night against Clay Guida; or maybe veteran Aaron Riley (30-12-1), who would be sure to put on a fun fight. Brookins, on the other hand, could get a relatively new face in the UFC, and perhaps someone coming off of a debut loss. Someone like Mike Lullo (8-2), who was leg kicked to death by Edson Barboza in his debut, or T.J. O'Brien (16-5), who was elbowed to smithereens by Paul Kelly in his debut. The advantage and disadvantage to these kinds of matchups is that whether or not Brookins wins or loses, we still don't know much about him or the guy he just fought. But a win is a win, and that's probably what the UFC wants in order to lend the TUF tournament any legitimacy.

Alright, we're heading into the home stretch here. Let's talk about some more guys with upcoming fights. Coming up at UFC 128, we've got Kurt Pellegrino (16-5) taking on Gleison Tibau (21-7). These are two guys who are in a similar position. They're both coming off of losses to guys on their way up (Sotiropoulos for Pellegrino, Jim Miller for Tibau,) both of them are serviceable vets that have been UFC mainstays for about five years, and neither of them can seem to take the big step up when they have the opportunity. Should be an interesting fight as I think they match up pretty evenly, but I'd give Pellegrino a slight edge. Also coming up on the next Versus card, we've got WEC import Shane Roller (9-3) meeting Thiago Tavares (15-3-1). Roller went 6-2 in WEC, losing only to Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis. Most recently he gave Jamie Varner his exit from Zuffa with a rear naked choke win in the final WEC event. Tavares, for his part, seems to be another guy with potential who comes up small when it matters. This could very well be a "loser leaves town" type of fight ? both guys are serviceable enough, but with the size of the lightweight roster, the UFC has an abundance of serviceable fighters. In another probable win-or-go-home type of fight, we've got the infamous Gabe Ruediger (17-6) taking on the perennially exciting Paul Taylor (10-6-1) at UFC 126. For Ruediger, this is another shot at redemption. After being memorably cast out of The Ultimate Fighter house, Ruediger went on a six-fight win streak, winning all six by stoppage. He was unceremoniously welcomed back into the Octagon, however, by Joe Lauzon (19-6), who absolutely ran through him in two minutes, finishing things off with an armbar. That was Lauzon at his best in front of a raucous hometown crowd, and Ruediger did not look like he was expecting anything close to what he got. Taylor is 1-3 in his last four fights, and given Ruediger's shaky history with Dana White I have a hard time seeing the loser invited back for another fight any time soon.

Last up we've got the guys who fought recently and/or don't have anything scheduled on the immediate horizon. Most notably we have Kenny Florian (13-5), who last posted a loss to Gray Maynard in August of last year. He was scheduled to main even the Fight for the Troops card against Evan Dunham this weekend, but injury sidelined him. When he returns I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a shot at the winner of Saturday's main event, or perhaps one of the fighters waiting in line for a title shot. Depending on the timeline we could see fights with Jim Miller, the winner of Sotiropoulos/Siver, or the winner of Dunham/Guillard. I think those are all good fights for Florian. In that same boat is Sean Sherk (36-4-1), who was handed a decision win over Dunham in his last fight. Sherk could conceivably fight any of the guys I just mentioned for Florian. We also talked about Joe Lauzon, and he's coming off of a loss to Sotiropoulos. A good fight for him could be Takanori Gomi (32-7). I don't think Gomi is going to get any easy fights for however long he sticks in the UFC, and given his somewhat suspect submission defense, Lauzon is a tough matchup for him. Another fight I wouldn't mind seeing would be Joe Stevenson (31-12), who is in the midst of a 2-5 run and coming off of an embarrassing KO loss to Mac Danzig (20-8-1), fighting an up and coming guy like healthcare enthusiast Jacob Volkmann (12-2). I think that would be a pretty good barometer for both guys to see where they are right now. Stevenson needs a win badly, and Volkmann could use a stiff test after starting his lightweight career at 3-0. Finally, there are three guys who could be matched up pretty much any way Joe Silva sees fit. There's Sam Stout (16-6-1), and he could fight Paul Sass (11-0), who is the Cody McKenzie of triangle chokes (he won his first eight fights by triangle, and brought the triangle with him to the UFC, where he used it to choke out Mark Holst in his debut at UFC 120.) Another guy they could match him up with, and probably more likely, is fellow Brit Terry Etim (14-3), who was riding a nice four-fight win streak into his fight with Rafael dos Anjos, where he was submitted.

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. That is a big division. But shockingly enough, we've still got a little more to talk about. There are these two guys in particular that stand head and shoulders above most non-UFC lightweights, and they could probably both be given title shots pretty quickly should they get the opportunity to fight within the confines of a Zuffa contract. Gilbert Melendez (18-2), the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, has no unavenged losses and has been on the hardcore fans' radar for years. My personal favorite for best non-UFC lightweight, however, is Eddie Alvarez (21-2), who has looked absolutely dominant in his run as Bellator lightweight champion. Most recently, Alvarez thrashed former UFC golden boy Roger Huerta (21-5-1), causing the doctor to stop the fight after the second round. Believe it or not, though, there is still a wealth of non-UFC talent out there in this unbelievably stacked division. I'll just name the ones I can think of.

There's fast-rising star Maximo Blanco (8-2-1), who has looked fantastic in his Sengoku Raiden Championship run, of course there's submission ace Shinya Aoki (26-5), who remains a commodity despite his somewhat hilarious (though humiliating for him) TKO loss at Dream's annual Dynamite!! show. Aoki fought Yuichihiro Nagashima in a fight that featured one round of kickboxing rules followed by a round of MMA rules. In the first round, Aoki looked silly in running away from Nagashima (though you can hardly blame Aoki, whose kickboxing leaves something to be desired) only to be knocked cold by a knee while shooting for his first takedown in the second round. So that didn't end well for him. Those listed above are probably my picks for the first fighters I'd like to see against the top UFC competitors, but there are several more who could make some noise within the division. I'm not going to take the time to list them all here, because quite frankly I don't want to take up all the space and I'm nearing 2,700 words as it is. So I'm going to leave it there for now. If you think I've slighted anyone or left anyone out (as I said there are more deserving fighters who could go in this section), let's talk about it in the comments. Or shoot me an email at ennistorch@gmail.com.

M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein has some worries about a fair playing field for his fighter Fedor Emelianenko in the upcoming Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix. With fighters in the field who have previously tested positive for banned substances, Finkelchtein says he will be requesting strict drug testing for the tournament fights. He expressed as much at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of Fedor's February 12 bout with Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

"Two out of eight fighters in the tournament previously failed a drug test," Finkelchtein stated (translated by LowKick.com). "Obviously, I'm talking about Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva. We want fair competition for everyone, so that's why I will ask the commission to perform a strict drug testing."

"Fedor is not using any kind of substance to enhance his performance, and will be ready for any kind of testing. So if the commission decides to follow our suggestion, we'll be ready."

After their first hand experience with Josh Barnett, in which a lucrative fight on Affliction's third card never came to fruition due to Barnett's third failed steroid test, Finkelchtein says he doesn't want to have to go through that again.

"Our organization paid a heavy price after the cancelation of the fight between Josh Barnett and Fedor. We did a lot of promotion for this fight, which in the end did not take place. That's why as a promoter and manager, I don't want this to happen ever again."

The tournament kicks off with two quarterfinal bouts on February 12 in New Jersey, as Andrei Arlovski and Sergei Kharitionov square off in addition to Fedor vs. Silva.

Penick's Analysis: If it's going to entail the same testing procedures for each fighter and it's going to be uniformly applied throughout the tournament, it's not unreasonable to want to see strict testing done. But, if Strikeforce were to run in Japan as Scott Coker has stated he wants to do, or another commission that doesn't test, such as Texas, they'd have to take care of it all on their own. Again, provided it gets applied widely, and for each fight, then they should go for it, but they can't single fighters out and hold things up for testing if the other fights aren't being subject to the same thing.